volunteer in ministry [+] Tuesday E-Devotion

We had a great leadership team meeting last night, and God keeps doing some awesome things at The Community Fellowship.  On Mother's Day not only are we having a big event for moms in our area and hope to have lots of guests, but we will be announcing our next huge step for the church family.  Don't miss it!!!

 

Philippians 4:9 (nlt) --- Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

 

Pretty much every day I am so amazed by the people that God has brought our way.  For their benefit and for my growth, I read and search for leadership growth every day.  One sure fire way I have found to lock in creativity and be stretched is through the blogs of incredible people.  Carolos Whitaker is just such a person.  His blog is Ragamiffin Soul, and Los is a worship leader @ Buckhead Church in Atlanta.

 

This week he shared at another church in their volunteer training.  This is good stuff.  Read on:

1. Be real with yourselves, others, and God WHERE YOU ARE AT as a group of volunteers.

2. There is an authenticity in a smaller church community that forms the base for healthy numerical growth in the future.

3. The church staff are not the shepherds in the local church. They are the facilitators of the ministry being given by the VOLUNTEERS.

4. The church down the street with the big building is no better off than you are. Actually you are better off in some ways.

5. Having no permanent facilities creates an attitude of servant-hood and obedience that is hard to discover once you have a building. Enjoy the time you have without walls.

6. If the churches in the Buckhead community would spend more time together outside the walls of the buildings…Dare I say it…Revival could take place in our community.

7. God has Christian Church Buckhead where they are for a strategic purpose in our city. And I can't wait to see all He is going to do through them.

 

(Los is a creative dude that really rocks my world with encouragement and cutting edge stuff.  He is the only pastor I know that has ever been on LA Ink.)

 

If you read between the lines of what he shared, there is are some HUGE concepts about how we do church and how people PLUG IN to what God is doing.  What did I hear?

 

BE real.  BE who you are and ready to grow.  KNOW your role and fill it.  DON'T knock others around you (build others up even if you disagree).  HELP the church be who your church is.  DO stuff with other Christians and churches.  LET God work right where He planted you!

 

Colossians 1:6 (nlt) --- This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace.

 

We are called to be agents of change.  How?  We have to plug our lives into what God is doing.  One great way to do that is to volunteer in ministry.  Get involved.  If your church doesn't have a place for you to do that, find one that does.  Life is far too short to wait around or to just sit still.

 

Romans 15:2 (nlt) --- We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.